May I introduce you to my teapot? I made this teapot when I was a teenager, still living at home in Melbourne. In fact, the date I inscribed on the bottom of the pot tells me it was on the eve of my 18th birthday that I crafted this rather lovely object. I have very …
Category: London
indoors looking out
Recently I've been working on a collaboration, indoors looking out, with the artist Stephen Graham, and I'm delighted that some of our work has been selected for the online exhibition Covent-19 - Voicing Responses Under Lockdown. You'll be able to view the exhibition on Instagram from 8th May to 5th June. The collaboration began on the eve …
End of November round-up
Wowee. I've been busy. I sat down yesterday morning and began a list of things I've been up to since I last blogged: Words for the Wild - I've had two poems published on this beautiful site, as part of their autumn 'Fruit' themed issue. I love the mix of poetry and fiction, and the …
National Poetry Day Vibes
I woke up yesterday morning thinking about National Poetry Day, which is next Thursday 3rd October. I'm going to a reading the night before, but had nothing planned for the day itself, and wasn't aware of anything happening locally. And then I thought why don't I do something myself? Something that wouldn't take too much …
An extraordinary house, and promming at Battersea Arts Centre
On Tuesday I was privileged to go on a free tour of the National Trust property 575 Wandsworth Road. This was part of an event for the National Park City Festival, a week of events to celebrate London being declared the first National Park City in the world, and encouraging Londoners to get out and …
Continue reading An extraordinary house, and promming at Battersea Arts Centre
Three readings, a workshop, a virus and a Fun Day
That was my May, and I'm still recovering. I eased into the month with a double reading at Loose Muse on 8th May. In the first half, Joolz Sparkes and I read from our joint collection London Undercurrents, recently published by Holland Park Press. Over the five or so years that we've been working on …
Continue reading Three readings, a workshop, a virus and a Fun Day
crazy May
My month ahead, I mean, not the Prime Minister. No, no, no. May is looking a bit crazy for me, but I'll get through it. Scratch that. I'll ENJOY it! (Thanks, Joolz, for the 'be more dog' tip!) First up, on Wednesday 8th May, Joolz Sparkes and I are featured readers at Loose Muse, London’s …
a month away, & looking ahead
It's a week now since I got back from a month away in Australia, visiting family in Melbourne. I'm finally over the jet lag, and getting back into the swing of London life. I was very glad that Nick could come with me on this trip, my first "home" in nearly 3 years. It makes …
ABBA in Battersea!
A long time ago... briefly... but it's true, ABBA alighted in Battersea in 1976, when they were promoting their album Arrival. Back then, I was a teenager in Melbourne, an ABBA fan, and although London was on my radar, I doubt I'd heard of Battersea. There's a photo of me on Christmas morning, delightedly clutching …
how my breakfast inspired a prize winning poem
I won first prize in the City Harvest Holiday Poetry Competition! My first first prize, and City Harvest's first poetry competition. And it all came about thanks to the local surplus food project, Waste Not Want Not, that Nick and I have benefited from over the last couple of years. WNWN circulated details to all their contacts a …
Continue reading how my breakfast inspired a prize winning poem
Hilaire 